A new life
by booklover0698
Summary: Aria moved to Rosewood alone with little Lily-Ann after some life changing events. Will teaching at Rosewood High help her start to live again?
1. Chapter 1

Hi! This is my first story. I learned English in high school, so sorry for the mistakes. I don't own anything except the plot.

Chapter 1: 5 A.M.

For the hundredth time that night, Aria turned in her bed and checked the time on her alarm clock: 5 A.M. She still had one hour left before she had to get up. She sighed. She couldn't sleep. She was thinking too much. She was so stressed! That day was her first day of work as an English teacher at Rosewood High, the local high school from a quiet suburb near Philadelphia. She had dreamed about starting teaching ever since she had obtained her diploma from NYU the year before. At that time she was so excited. She had been offered a job at St-Judes, a private Manhattan high school with one of the best English program in New-Jersey. But sometimes life's plans aren't the same than the ones with make for ourselves. And soon, just before the school year started, Aria's life collapsed. She found herself alone to raise a 4 year-old girl.

Aria's plans of renting a loft in Brooklyn were out of the question. She looked, but all she could afford since she had to take care of a child was too small, or too far from work, or too dirty… She thought a lot and then she decided to quit everything. Aria couldn't afford taking care of a child on her own along with renting a cozy loft in New-York.

So she decided that maybe New-York with its polluted air and noisy streets wasn't the perfect place to raise a kid. The playgrounds were rare and there wasn't enough room for a little girl to discover the world.

So Aria called the principal of St-Judes and explained him why she couldn't take his job offer anymore, why she needed to take the year off to adapt to her new situation and why she needed to move away to a quiet place.

She spent a lot of time trying to decide where she should move to until she found it; the perfect home; a modest two story yellow house with a large backyard, a big oak tree and a large front porch with two white rocking chairs sitting on it. There was a garden in the back and the house was circled by a white fence; the perfect place to raise a child. And it was affordable considering the amount of money Aria had inherited in the past weeks.

So she packed her things and moved away with Lily-Ann, to her new house in Rosewood.

That was 12 months ago. After taking time to adjust to her new life, Aria was finally ready to start living again. After months of being all alone at home with Lily, Aria was ready for a change. She was tired of the solitude. Her father didn't talk to her ever since she had revealed to her mom that he was cheating on her with one of his students, while her mom, after hearing the news, divorced, met a guy, and moved with him in Austria. Sure she called often, but it wasn't like having her there to help her. And her friends? Well, she had a few in New-York, but they all stopped calling the minute she found herself alone with Lily.

So yeah, Aria was ready to build a new life in Rosewood. Yes, there were still night when she cried herself to sleep, still not understanding why it happened to her, but they were getting less frequent. And, somehow, the idea of teaching gave her hope. Hope that finally she would be able to live her life.


	2. Miss Fields and Spencer Hastings

Chapter 2 : Miss Fields and Spencer Hastings

"Come one lily, sweet pea, wake up," said Aria softly, stroking the blond girl's hair.

Lily-Ann looked at her with excited eyes.

"It's today isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah Lily it is, today is your first day of kindergarten and my first day of work. Are you excited?"

The little girl nodded, but soon her smile faded and was replaced by a sad and worried expression.

"What if the other kids don't like me?" she asked, "I am scared of not making any friends."

Aria looked at her tenderly.

"Oh Lily! Of course you will make friends! Just stay the kind and polite girl you always are. I have an idea; if you are shy to play with the other kids, why don't you look around and go talk to another girl or boy who is also shy? You could share toys and I'm sure you' become great friends," Aria said, trying hard to reassure the poor girl.

"Are you sure?" Lily asked still slightly worried.

"Yes I am! Now come on, let's get dressed. I made pancakes!"

"Pancakes? Yeah!" exclaimed Lily.

* * *

"Ok, here is her bag. I put everything she could need in it; her solar cream, her hat, her running shoes, socks, spare clothes, snacks, no peanuts, she's allergic, her epipen in case she eats peanuts, her..." rambled Aria before being interrupted by Lily's new teacher, Miss Emily Fields.

"Miss Montgomery, it's going to be all right! You chose the best kindergarten in all Pennsylvania!" joked Miss Fields, "Lily-Ann will be well taken care of," she reassured her.

Aria managed a small smile. She was so stressed. Ever since moving to Rosewood eight months ago, it was the first time that she left Lily. She usually brought her everywhere. She had even brought her to her interview at Rosewood High! She had been lucky that the principal had a soft spot for children.

"I'm sorry," Aria said to Miss Fields, "It's the first time that I leave Lily-Ann ever since... you know..." she trailed off.

Emily knew what Aria was talking about, but she also knew that it was still a delicate subject for her and she respected that, so she delicately changed the subject. Aria was really grateful to her.

"Do you start working today Miss Montgomery, " asked Emily politely.

"Yes I do. And please, call me Aria," she said with a smile.

Aria felt uncomfortable being called Miss Montgomery by Lily's teacher considering that they were about the same age. Miss Fields was probably 24-25 years old, just like her. She was a tall young woman who probably came from some exotic judging by her unusual tanned skin. She had long wavy hair and big brown eyes. She had a caring smile and deep down Aria knew that she could trust her with her little girl.

"Well, Aria, in that case you can call me Emily. Now, I don't want to be impolite, but i suggest you leave if you don't want to be late at work," said Emily flashing a big smile.

Aria looked at her watch and was surprised to see that it was already 7:45.

She glanced at Lily just to make sure she was okay and was instantly relieved. She was already happily chatting with a cute girl wearing a blue plaid dress with white ribbons in her curly brown hair. Lily had made a new friend.

She turned back her attention to Emily.

"Yes, thank you, I should get going."

As she was leaving, Aria caught Lily's glance and waved silently. The girl replied with a happy wave before she went back to coloring with her new friend.

Aria left feeling happy to see her Lily already at ease.

* * *

"Room 1140... room 1140... where is the stupid room 1140?" yelled Aria in her head.

She was almost late at her first day f work which consisted in a meeting with all the other English teachers of the department. It was supposed to be held in room 1140 and Aria had thought she would find it without difficulties, but no one had told her that this school was huge!

She was starting to panic. What if she couldn't find the room on time? It was her first day of work, what would her colleagues think? And what would the principal think? Would she regret her choice of hiring Aria? If she lost her job, how would she afford taking care of Lily or paying for the house and the taxes? She couldn't live on her heritage forever.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that Aria didn't see the person turning round the corner of the hallway and bumped straight into her.

"Ouch!" said the stranger.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" said Aria, feeling really bad for bumping straight into a young woman, "I wasn't looking where I was going," she added.

"It's all right, I wasn't looking either," replied the woman.

She then eyed Aria suspiciously.

"Who are you? Are you the new English teacher? I've heard they hired someone but I didn't know what to expect. The last teacher they hired only lasted two months. He was quite... I'm sorry, I'm rambling," she said, "I'm Spencer Hastings, I'm the Politics and Law teacher," she introduced herself.

"Hum...Hi! I'm Aria, Aria Montgomery... I am the new English teacher," she said quite startled.

"Oh that's so great! I mean, don't get me wrong, but almost all the teachers who work here are old, well except Ezra Fitz, so I miss having someone of my age to talk to. I'm so glad they hired you! You'll see it's a great school. I actually went to high school here. Well, I lived in Rosewood my whole life! What about you? Where are you from?" she asked almost out of breath after talking so much.

That girl was right. If she could talk that much to a stranger it meant that she really needed a friend. But the tall brunette seemed nice and Aria was glad. Maybe she's finally make a real friend in her new life.

She didn't know how to answer Spencer's question without rising questions she didn't want to answer about her... situation.

"I'm from New-York," she simply said.

"New-York? Wow! How come you moved here?" Spencer asked. She really was a curious person.

"Oh, they had a job offer for me here in Rosewood and I wanted come change. The big city wasn't for me anymore." She didn't say much but she hoped that it would satisfy Spencer's curiosity.

"Hey sorry to be impolite, but I really have to go. I have that meeting with the other English teachers in 5 minutes and I can't find the room 1140. Would you mind?" asked Aria.

"Sure! No problem," Spencer smiled.

She guided Aria trough a tone of different hallways until they arrived in front of a wooden door above which it was written in black: 1140.

"Thank you so much Spencer!"

"No problem! If you need anything my office is at the end of the second hallway to your right, number 1350. Don't hesitate!" she said before leaving.

Aria was really grateful. That Spencer Hastings seemed like quite a good friend.


	3. Meeting the staff

When Aria opened the door of the room 1140, she was, sadly, surprised to realize that she was the last person to arrive, judging by the only chair available.

The noise she made when she opened the door caused the heads of the four people sitting around a large round table in the middle of the room to turn towards her.

"Excuse me Miss, but this is a private meeting", said the only woman around the table, a grumpy sixty-year-old with grey hair firmly tightened in a bun above her head. She had glasses hanging by a silver chain around her neck and she wore a white blouse with dress pants.

"Hi", said Aria, trying not to sound startled by the old lady's words. "I'm Aria, Aria Montgomery, the new English teacher?" she added tentatively.

"Oh," answered the woman flatly, "I thought the principal would hire someone more...experienced," she said shooting firm glances at Aria.

Aria knew what she looked like. With her 5"2 she could hardly look like a young serious English teacher. She still passed for a teenager, even if she had stopped dressing like one long ago. But she knew better than to be affected by the woman's words. Ever since becoming Lily-Ann's only parent, she had grown accustomed to other's people curious glances and mean whispers. What people thought of her didn't preoccupy her as much as it used to.

"Miss Welsh is just joking Miss Montgomery, aren't you Miss Welsh?" said the youngest man of the room which, judging by what Spencer had told her, Aria supposed was Ezra Fitz.

Miss Welsh shot Ezra a stern glance but soon put on a forced smile before looking at Aria.

"Of course, I was joking dear, we're all really happy to welcome a new teacher," she said.

"Thank you," replied Aria politely, even if she knew that Miss Welsh's words of welcome weren't sincere.

Aria forgot about the old woman's words when she looked at Ezra attentively. He was really good looking. He wore a clean pale blue shirt, black dress pants, a blue tie; the attire of a perfect gentleman. Moreover, he had deep blue mesmerizing eyes and messy brown hair. Just her type. But he probably already had a girlfriend. And between taking care of Lily and her new job, Aria didn't have time to think about dating!

"Miss Montgomery may I present you the English department of Rosewood High?" said Ezra, taking her out of her daydreaming, "As you might know this is Miss Welsh. To her right it's Mr Levinson. Mr Harrisson is sitting on front of her and to his left is seated Mr Smith. And I am Ezra Fitz, head of the English department.

Aria took time to observe them all as she shook hands. Miss Welsh, well, she had already her own idea about that woman. Mr Levinson seemed quite friendly. Yes, he was old, but so was all the other staff members according to Spencer. He had the iconic English teacher look: a brown blazer with patches on the elbows and a bow tie. Aria immediately liked him. He reminded her of a old teacher she had when she was in High School herself. Mr Harrisson was as old as his colleague, but seemed much more bored. Aria wasn't sure if she'd feel comfortable talking to him. As for Mr Smith, he had his head plunged in a book, which said much about his social behaviour.

"It's nice to meet you all," said Aria after she took some time to observe them.

With that, she sat with everyone and Ezra, who had stood up when he had made presentations, took back his seat at the end of the table. They were ready to start the meeting.

* * *

After the meeting, which had gone surprisingly well considering its not so easy beginning, Ezra offered Aria a tour of the school to help her get familiar with the hallways and to show her her new office and classrooms.

"So..." said Ezra, "Where are you from? I don't remember seeing you in Rosewood and I'm proud to say that I know almost everyone here since I've been living in the city my whole life," he joked.

The traditional question; normal in appearances, but so awkward for Aria.

"Hum... I'm from New-York. I moved in Rosewood a couple of months ago, but I didn't really get out of my house often. I had some stuff to take care of. It's normal if you haven't really seen me around.

The truth was that she almost never got out of the house except for groceries, errands, emergencies and her job interview. She was always with Lily-Ann and she didn't want to leave her with someone else. So she had to go out with her, but she didn't really like it. It's not that she was ashamed of Lily, no! She loved the little girl with all her heart! And she could take the whispers and the glares people shot her when they saw a woman as young as her with a five-year-old. What she hated was the questions people ask, one of them being: "where is her father?" Aria wasn't ready to talk about that yet, so she preferred to avoid getting out.

"New-York? That's cool!" said Ezra. "My mom moved there when she divorced my dad. I went to visit her a couple of times. It's a great city; vibrant, colorful, noisy and full of different people. It's quite different from Rosewood! Why move here? Were you tired of the big city?" he asked.

"Yeah. Polluted air and noisy streets weren't for me anymore. I like it here. It's quiet, there are trees and people actually say hello to their neighbours." replied Aria.

"You described Rosewood quite well Miss Montgomery," said Ezra.

"Please, call me Aria, Miss Montgomery makes me feel so old," she laughed.

" Well, Aria, here we are: room 1360, your office." said Ezra.

"Oh that's nice! It's right next to Spencer Hastings' office!" said Aria happily.

"You know her?" asked Ezra curiously.

"Yeah, not really, she just helped me find the room of the meeting earlier and she seemed really nice," answered Aria.

"She really is," replied Ezra with a smile. "So, I'll leave you here. You can install your things and prepare for next week. If you need anything don't hesitate, my office is the one just next Spencer's."

"Thank you," said Aria.

She was really happy. It was only her first day of job, but she already felt better than she ever did in New-York.


	4. Pizza night

"Hey, Aria! Wait!" she heard someone call her from behind.

Great! She really didn't have time to talk. She was already late to pick Lily-Ann up. Then she had to stop at the grocery because it was pizza night and she didn't have anything to put on top of it. Maybe ham and artichokes? With olives? It was her favorite.

"Aria! Wait please! You forgot something!" said the same person.

She turned around to find Ezra almost running trying to catch up with her. He had her handbag in his left hand. How could she forget that? She was lucky he noticed otherwise she would have had to come back to school to get her keys and money.

"Oh my god, thank you Ezra," she said, relieved, "see you tomorrow!" she added not wanting to be more late than she already was.

"Wait," he said again, "You seem in a hurry, are you alright? Do you need help with something?" he asked almost worried.

She had only met him hours ago, but in that instant Aria knew that he was the kindest man she had ever met.

"Thank you, but I'm really late for something. I have to go. It was really kind of you to want to help, but the only thing I have to do is drive really fast to where they are waiting for me," she answered not wanting to explain why she had a five-year-old to pick up from kindergarten.

"In that case I will let you go, see you!" he said with a charming smile.

Aria was already running down the hallway. She cursed herself for her poor behaviour. He was probably thinking that she didn't want to talk to him or that she was a foolish girl who's always late everywhere. So much for a first impression!

When she entered the parking of the kindergarten, Aria immediately noticed that there was only one car left. Probably Lily-Ann's teacher's car. She was going to hate her!

"I am so sorry Miss Fields," said Aria when she spotted her waiting in the stairs with Lily-Ann, "I was in my office preparing my classes for next week when I noticed that time had passed by faster than I thought and I was already late. On top of that I forgot my purse when I left the school and," Aria kept rambling until Emily shut her up.

"Miss Montgomery, it's alright. I understand your situation and I know how hard raising a little girl is to do on your own. I am not mad at all. I'm sure that you'll find an arrangement so it doesn't happen too often. Now go back home with Lily-Ann, I am sure she has lots to tell you." said the teacher with a friendly smile.

"Thank you," Aria answered with a smile.

Aria was happy to know that Emily wasn't too mad at her for being so late to pick Lily-Ann up. Feeling better, she was able to turn her attention to the five-year-old who waited for her by the car. When she caught Aria looking at her, Lily-Ann smiled and cried out loud:

"Come on! You said it was pizza night! I'm hungry!"

"I'm coming sweetie!" Aria replied with enthusiasm. No matter what kind of day she had, she could always count on that little girl to make it better.

In the past year she had often think she couldn't do it. She had difficulty to understand how a 24 year-old could be able to raise a child on her own. She felt like she was doing everything wrong. But she just needed to look at the little girl to find strength and continue. She could never give up on her.

Aria and Lily-Ann finally arrived home at 5 and half. Aria didn't expect to arrive this late. Because of her running late, she only had an hour and a half to prepare diner, make Lily-Ann eat, give her her bath and put her to sleep. Even if she was really tired from her day of work, she didn't have time to lose.

"I want to help you make the pizza!" said Lily-Ann running in the kitchen and almost tripping over her school bag.

"Of course sweetie! And while we are making them you can tell me everything about your day at school."

"Yeah!"

"You can start by cutting the artichokes," suggested Aria.

"Okay!"

"So, did you meet any friends today?" Aria asked.

"Yes, there is a girl I played with. Her name is Clara. She has the best dress in the entire world!" she said with excitement.

"Oh yeah? The best dress? And what about the blue one you got for your birthday?" Aria said playfully.

"Okay, maybe the second best dress in the entire world! And you, did you make friends?" asked Lily-Ann innocently.

Her question made Aria think. It is so easy to make friends when you're a five year old. Aria, on the other hand, didn't have friends ever since she moved from New-York. She didn't know why, but she felt that at Rosewood High she could actually make great friends. Spencer and Ezra seemed really kind. She hoped that her instinct was right.

"Yeah," she answered finally, "I think I met great friends at school today."

"That is so fun! This year we could prepare a big party for your birthday, because I was sad when you were all alone the last time," said Lily-Ann with her heart.

"That is a good idea sweetie, but will talk about that more when it will be my birthday. It is still in a pretty long time."

"How many days?" asked Lily.

"Hum... two months, so... almost sixty days," Aria answered.

"Sixty days!" whined Lily, "It is a too long time!"

"You'll see that it will pass really fast. Now how are you done with those artichokes? "

The little girl nodded in reply.

"Then we have all the ingredients. You can spread them on your pizza just like you want. Make it look beautiful," Aria told her.

When Lily-Ann was finally done with her designing of the diner, Aria put the pizza in the oven. During the time they had to wait for the pizza to be ready, Lily told her all about her day at school.

That night when Aria went to sleep, she couldn't help but think about everything that happened in a year. And she cried, like she had been doing every night. But that night it was different, because for the first time in more than a year, she finally had some hope that the future would be better.


	5. Lunch at the Brew

**Hi! I just want to say thank you for the reviews! It makes me more inspired!**

* * *

September 2nd

Here she was. That day was Aria's real first day as a teacher. After a week of preparation she was finally about to meet her new students. Aria was really excited to start the new school year and she hoped that her students would share her enthusiasm. Of course, she knew that not everyone likes English, but she loved to think that maybe she'd be able to change that for one or two students.

The past week had gone in a blur. Between work and being at home with Lily, listening to her stories about what she did with her friend Clara at kindergarten, Aria didn't have time to think. She was truly enjoying her new life. Keeping busy was the best way to get over what happened to her a year before.

And she had met great people too. In a week, Aria had developed what she hoped was a great friendship with Spencer Hastings. She seemed mature and really intelligent. She was a good listener too. Aria hadn't told her about Lily and her father, but she thought that perhaps, at the right moment, Spencer would be a great friend to talk to.

In fact, Aria had yet to tell anyone about Lily. She didn't know how to bring the subject up without answering questions she preferred not to think about. But at the same time she felt bad. She didn't want people to think that she kept Lily a secret because she didn't love her. She hoped that she would soon find a way to let people know about her without causing a scene.

Speaking of the devil, as Aria was getting dressed and putting on her make-up, Lily-Ann came running into her bedroom, already up before Aria even went to awake her.

"Look! I made you a drawing!" she cried happily, clearly pleased at the idea of giving Aria a gift.

Aria took the girl's drawing in her hands and looked at it. Lily had drawn her in front of a black board.

"It's you! In your classroom!" she added with joy.

"It's beautiful sweetie! I really appreciate it!" said Aria.

"Will you hang it in your office?" she asked with hope.

Aria thought for a moment. No one knew about Lily, but maybe this was the right way to tell them. Indirectly, she'd show to everyone that she had a kid, without really having to talk about it. The little girl was a genius.

"It's a great idea! I'll put it on my wall," she answered.

"Yeah!"

* * *

Five hours later, Aria found herself looking at the drawing Lily had given her in the morning. She had hung it as soon as she arrived, and no one had asked questions yet. Perfect.

Aria was back from her first two classes of the day and it was currently lunch time. In the morning, she had the chance to meet her new students. She was really glad of how it went. She had first been really stressed of the welcome the teenagers would give her. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to maintain discipline. When people saw her with her petite stature, they often thought that it meant she didn't have authority and that she couldn't make herself heard. But it was quite the opposite. Aria had a special way to talk to students that made them feel appreciated and instantly encouraged them to respect her.

She had presented them the plan of the year and they seemed, for the majority, enthusiastic. That year they would study great classic of literature: Of Mice and Men, Hamlet, The Great Gastby, 1982, and so more. Aria loved to explore different times and genres with her students. That way, she could interest many of them with the variety.

She was actually re-reading one of the book she'd read with her students, To Kill a Mockingbird, when a knock at the door interrupted her.

"Knock, knock!" said Ezra at the door.

Aria was surprised, she hadn't really talked to him in the last week, except maybe for questions regarding work. Maybe that was why he was standing in her doorway.

"Hi Ezra, what can I do for you?" asked Aria.

"Actually," he said hesitating, "I was going out to get some lunch when I saw you were the only one alone in your office, I was wondering if you'd like to join me?" he added.

Aria thought for a moment. She would have loved to have lunch with Ezra, but she didn't know if it was a good idea to accept. She was nervous that they wouldn't find anything to talk about; they didn't really know each other that well... But then she thought about all the things she had said no to in the last year and changed her mind. After all, she was trying to build a new life!

"Yeah, I would love to," she finally said.

"Great!" said Ezra, "Do you have your lunch or you want to grab something? I need to buy something, but of you prefer I can go and we can eat in the park in front of the school," he suggested.

"We can go somewhere, I don't have a lunch either."

"In that case, do you know the Brew?" he asked, "It's a really nice café a few blocks down the street. They serve fantastic croissants."

"No, I never went there, but I'd like to try it." she said.

"Great, because you can't live in Rosewood and not go to the Brew once in a while, it's a must!" explained Ezra.

"Perfect, let me grab my jacket and I'm coming," smiled Aria.

* * *

Aria found herself talking easily to Ezra. She really enjoyed it. They talked about their first day and their new students. They laughed when Ezra told her how he dropped all the content of his briefcase when he introduced himself to his class and he warned her about Peter McAdams, a third year boy who was a student of Aria and who also was in Ezra's class the year before. His father had caused him great trouble.

However, they kept being interrupted by Ezra's cell phone who rang at least four times, the caller ID always the same, a certain Maggie. "Probably his girlfriend," thought Aria. Ezra kept rejecting the call and say that he was sorry, but Aria could see that he was annoyed by the situation.

"We should head back," said Aria with regret, "The next period will soon start and you probably want to call back whoever has been trying to reach you."

"Yeah, let's go," said Ezra and Aria thought, but she could pretty well have imagined it, that Ezra was as disappointed as her that their lunch was already over.


	6. Telling Spencer

"Lily! Hurry up! We're going to be late," said Aria for the tenth time that morning.

In general, Lily was an angel, polite, caring and everything, but the little girl was also really stubborn and sometimes Aria wished she could change that, especially when Lily had some crazy kid idea that made her late to her job.

"But I wanna wear the yellow dress!" whined Lily.

For the last twenty minutes, Aria had been trying to change the little girl's mind about putting on a summer dress on a rather cold day. But there was almost nothing to do. When she wanted something, Lily fought for it.

"Honey, you can't! It's September, it's cold outside and it's raining! If I let you wear that to kindergarten you'll get sick sweat pea," said Aria, trying to keep her calm.

"But I want to!" she cried.

"Lily it's enough! You have 5 minutes to put on the jeans and t-shirt I chose for you or there will be some consequences. I promise you you can wear your yellow dress when it's warm, but today you'll do as I say!" said Aria rather firmly.

And Lily started crying. Aria hated when this happened. She didn't like to be the cause of the child's cries, but sometimes she had no other choice than to be severe.

"Don't cry Lily," said Aria trying to comfort her, "You'll still be the prettiest girl to me in that pink shirt"

"Do-do you t-think I am p-pretty?" asked Lily with her eyes full of tears.

"Of course Lily! Don't you think you are pretty?" she asked worriedly.

"I d-d-don't know, yesterday t-that mean... mean b-boy said I was ugly," she said sobbing.

"Oh Lily! Why didn't you tell me? You know, there are always mean boys and girls who tell the others some lies. Just try to don't listen to them. They are just trying to make you sad. Try to ignore him. But if he ever says anything else that's mean to you, tell me please. I have to know if something makes you sad okay?" Aria said.

"...Okay," said Lily hesitantly.

"What's the name of this boy Lily?" Aria asked, mentally nothing to address the subject with Emily as soon as possible. She couldn't support that at five years old her little girl was already being harassed.

"It's Charles."

"Okay, I'll tell your teacher to try to make him stop saying mean things to you. Is that all right?"

"Yes, thank you!" said Lily-Ann, who had finally stopped crying.

"Now come on! Get dressed or we're going to be late!" smiled Aria.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Aria was parking her car in front of the kindergarten. As she did so, she immediately spotted a little girl whom she had started to know well from everything Lily told her about her friend. But Aria was really surprised to see who was holding her hand: Spencer.

"Hey Spencer!" said Aria getting out of the car and trying to get the woman's attention.

"Aria! What are you doing here?" asked Spencer clearly confused, "I didn't know you had a kid!" she added.

"Yeah, me neither, I mean, I didn't know you have kid too..." Her words were followed by an awkward silence.

"Yeah...hum, Aria, this is my daughter: Clara," said Spencer awkwardly.

"Yeah, I know her, I mean she's Lily best friend!" added Aria.

"Oh really? So the famous Lily is your daughter!" laughed Spencer.

"Oh! Well, technically she's not my... I mean... How about we talk about this over lunch?" asked Aria, feeling that she was addressing a hard subject.

Spencer, probably sensing Aria's reluctance at addressing the subject in the kindergarten's parking, immediately agreed.

This is how Aria and Spencer found themselves in complete silence at the Brew during their lunch break.

"So...," began Spencer, "Considering that Lily is Clara's age, I bet that you and I share pretty the same story huh?" said Spencer with a nervous laughed. "I was 18 and about to start college, my boyfriend and I had been dating for two years and one mistake later Clara was born. I was lucky that he had already finished school and had a serious job as a cop or I would have had to say goodbye to college and start working to pay for everything a baby needs..." she added.

"Wow, that must have been though," said Aria.

"Yeah well, you probably know how it is too!" said Spencer.

"Actually I don't," said Aria in a whisper.

"Here it is," she thought. "I need to confess to Spencer".

Spencer shot her a dumbfounded look.

"What do you mean Aria?" she asked clearly confused.

"I mean that I am not Lily's mother..." she said in a breath. "Lily's is my niece, but I am her legal guardian... My brother and his wife died in a terrible accident last year," she added with a sob. "I'm sorry, it's still a delicate subject for me... They were c-coming home after a night out, Lily was with a babysitter, there was a drunk driver on the road, he hit their car and... they, they died," Aria let a single tear slide down her cheek.

Spencer put a comforting hand on her shoulder and there was a moment of silence before she spoke:

"Aria, I am really sorry..." she said not really knowing how to react to such heart breaking news, " We haven't known each other for long, but I want you to know that if you ever need anything, even if it's just a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you." she added. "If you want a night for yourself, or if you need advice with kids, you can always call me, Toby and I will help you with pleasure," she finished.

"Thank you Spencer, I don't think I've ever met anyone as kind as you," Aria said softly.

"So is this why you moved to Rosewood?" asked Spencer hesitantly.

"Yeah, I lived in New-York and I had everything planed, but then Lily's care was given to me, I had a tiny apartment, no backyard, no car. I lived alone," she sighed, "I figured that it wasn't the best context to raise a kid."

"I think you made a good choice Aria. As hard as it must have been, it's probably the best for Lily-Ann." said Spencer in a comforting voice.

"Thank you. It was hard leaving everything behind, but I know that my brother and his wife wouldn't have liked to raise their daughter in a big city. They wanted her to have room to play safely." she said, "God! It's been a year and I still wonder how I am going to do this! Lily isn't stupid! She remembers her parents. I told her that they became angels to watch over her. She believes me, but it doesn't make her miss them any less. Sometimes when she gets mad at me she just yells that her mommy or daddy would let her do what she wants. I never know how to react to that..." she trailed off.

"Everything will be all right one day Aria. I can't pretend that I know what you're going through, because I never lost someone like you did, but I became a mother at 19. I wasn't prepared either. You just need to believe in yourself and accept the fact that you're not perfect and you're for sure going to make mistakes. From what Clara told me, Lily seems to be a great girl, you seem to be doing a fantastic job Aria." said Spencer.

"Thank you Spencer, for taking time to listen to me. You really are a great friend. What about we all go eat somewhere, with the kids, on Friday night? I could meet your famous Toby!" laughed Aria.

"I would love to!" said Spencer with a warm smile.

When Aria left the Brew, she felt like something heavy had been lifted from her shoulders. She had finally told someone about her past and she was glad. Maybe one day she'd finally happy. Of course she would never forget her brother, but it would be great to make peace with what happened.


	7. Thai take out

**Hi! For those who were wondering, because I forgot to mention it in the chapter before, Mike is older than Aria in this story. He was 22 years old, and so was Mona, when they had Lily. And thank you for the reviews! I really appreciate it!**

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The day after her meeting with Spencer, Aria felt much better than she had felt in a year. She felt happy, even she still felt a tiny bit guilty for allowing herself to feel that way. She had a new job, a new house and now her first real friend who didn't run away at the mention of a child and who, on top of that, offered her help.

It was only eight o'clock and her class was about to start. That day they were going to study one of her favourites: _Sense and Sensibility_. When she was young Aria always saw herself in the character of Marianne. She believed in love at first sight and thought that people should always follow their hearts. But since losing her brother, Aria's vision of love had drastically changed. she now recognized herself in Elinor, a more rational character. Now that she had a child to take care of, she didn't want to take the chance of falling in love with someone that she didn't know really well. Somehow, however, she felt that her heart was now falling for Ezra, and she didn't know if it was a good thing. She didn't know if it was the rational thing to do.

"Hey!" said Ezra in the doorway.

"Hi Ezra," blushed Aria, feeling as though Ezra had been reading her mind, "How are you?" she asked.

"I'm good, thank you!" he answered with a warm smile, "Hum... yesterday I came to see you at lunch, to ask if you wanted to go to the Brew with me, but you weren't there... I wanted to know if you already had plans for today?" he asked on a slightly nervous tone.

Aria didn't know what to say. Her inner Marianne wanted to say yes, but the Elinor in her was telling her that maybe going out for lunch with a guy she was starting to like was dangerous, especially considering that the last time they went out, a certain Maggie called three time, probably his girlfriend. She didn't want to fall for the unavailable guy. Then she remembered that she wanted a new life, so she let her sensitive side speak:

"I've got no plans yet, I would love to have lunch with you Ezra," said Aria.

"Great!" said Ezra with a shy smile, "Do you want us to eat here? I have a free period before lunch, I could go and grab something? What would you like?" he asked.

"Yeah, eating here would be great! We could eat in my office if you'd want? And anything would be good for me," she replied.

"Okay! What about thai takeout? Everyone likes it!" suggested Ezra.

"Perfect!" said Aria.

"Good! See you later!" said Ezra before heading away.

* * *

"Okay, so I have orange crispy beef and general tao, which one do you want? I forgot to ask about your favourite, so I just picked the most popular dishes," said Ezra a few hours later after arriving with his and Aria's lunch.

"I don't care! I really love both!" replied Aria with a smile.

"What about we share?" suggested Ezra.

"Good!"

They sat at Aria's desk and set their lunch on it in silence. Then Ezra stopped his movements and fixed something on the wall. Curious, Aria followed his glance to find out what was the subject of his sudden stop. Oh! Lily's drawing.

Was it better to tell him now and risk scaring him away, or waiting before she knew him better, a little like how she had done it with Spencer? She heard Elinor in her head, her rational side, telling her to think about the consequences of hiding a child to a guy. If there was any chance that something would ever happen between her and Ezra, it had to be based on honesty, and he had to know everything.

"I see you're looking at Lily's drawing," began Aria, "She's pretty good for a five years old." she added before she sighed. "Lily is my niece, I'm her legal guardian," said Aria in a breath.

"Oh! Wow...Hum... So you are a mother..." rambled Ezra not really knowing what to say.

"Hum... sort of... well... technically no, I've only been her guardian for a year, when my older brother Mike and his wife passed away... and she doesn't call me mom, just auntie Aria." she explained to a shocked Ezra.

Ezra didn't know what to say and he could sense Aria's nervousness at telling him about her personal life. She had a kid. That was a huge responsibility. He was starting to like her, but this might change things. A kid took a lot of time and energy, maybe Aria wouldn't be interested in getting to know him with everything she had to think of. But then he realized that this was her decision to make. He couldn't stop being interested in her just because she had a kid and he thought that it was too much for her. Maybe she'd also love to get to know him, or so he hoped.

"Well, I'm sure you're really good at this. We haven't known each other for long, but I feel like you're a great mom. Clearly she likes you if she took time to draw you something like that." he said. "What is her name again?" he asked.

"Lily-Ann, but almost everyone call her Lily," she answered with a smile.

"That's a really cute name."

Aria nodded.

Both fell into silence and started eating their lunch before Ezra broke it.

"Here it Ezra," he thought, "take a chance."

"Aria," he began, "I was wondering if you would like to go to the movies, or something, with me Saturday night," he asked, clearly nervous.

Aria didn't believe what she was hearing. Was Ezra really asking her out on a date?

"On a date?" asked Aria, shocked.

"No... well, yes, only if you want to?" replied Ezra.

"It doesn't disturb you to know that I have to take care a kid?" Aria asked wondering if it would be a great idea to go on a date with him. Didn't he have a girlfriend? Maggie? She didn't know the truth, maybe she was just a friend, or even his sister. Yeah, Ezra wasn't the type of man who cheated on his girlfriend.

"Of course not Aria! It doesn't change how I see at all!" he said surprised that she'd think such a thing.

"Well then I would love to go on a date with you" she said.


	8. A date with Ezra

**Hi! I just want to say that I am really really sorry for the long time there was since the last** **update. With school and everything I rarely have time to write, and on top of that I have trouble organizing my ideas for both stories I've started. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy this new chapter!**

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''Woo! You pretty auntie Aria!'' said the little Lily-Ann as she entered her aunt's bedroom in which Aria was getting ready for her date with Ezra.

Aria smiled at the child and bent over to look at her closely, tucking her hair behind her ears, ''Thank you sweetie,'' she said before adding, ''And you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen.''

At her words Lily giggled and started pivoting on herself, showing Aria how her dress was floating when she turned.

''Look, my dress is flying!'' she said happily.

''Yes it is!'' laughed Aria

''Tonight I'm going to show Clara how my dress can fly! We could play and be princesses!'' exclaimed Lily, who was really excited about the idea of spending the night at her friend's while Aria was going out with Ezra.

''That's a good idea sweetie, I bet you two will have lots of fun!'' said Aria.

''When are we leaving?'' Lily asked rapidly.

''In a few minutes sweet heart, I just have to finish getting ready,'' smiled Aria.

''What is the name of your new friend auntie Aria? You know my friend Clara, but I don't know the name of your new friend,'' said Lily with curiosity.

''His name is Ezra,'' answered Aria simply.

''It's a boy!'' laughed Lily.

''Yeah, why is it so funny?'' asked Aria, amused by Lily's cute reaction.

''Is it your boyfriend?'' replied Lily laughing.

''No he isn't,'' replied Aria. She was awaiting everything but that question coming from a child.

Lily giggled once again, ''Boys are yucky!'' she said.

Aria laughed at her words: ''When you'll get older Lily, you'll see that not all the boys are yucky,'' she smiled, '' Now come on! Go grab your coat and scarf, we're leaving!''

''Yeah!'' cried Lily as she ran downstairs.

''So tonight is the night?'' said Spencer playfully as Aria was putting back her coat after making sure that Lily had everything she needed to spend the night at her friend's.

''It's no big deal, it's just a friendly diner between co-workers,'' said Aria, lying to herself as much as she was lying to Spencer.

''Yeah, right!'' replied Spencer, clearly not convinced.

''Seriously,'' said Aria, ''Do you know if Ezra has a girlfriend? Because I was under the impression that he does,'' she added nervously.

''I know that he had someone last year and it was pretty serious, but they broke it off during the spring,'' Spencer stopped and looked as if she wanted to add something, she finally did ''Apparently, his girlfriend had been cheating on him with one of his friends. But you know, it's only rumours . I think it comes form the secretary who's one of Ezra's girlfriend cousins''

''Oh,'' simply said Aria. Poor Ezra, she had never been cheated on, but it was always something that she feared. She could only imagine how Ezra must have felt when he found out, if it was true of course.

''But don't worry Aria! I know that Ezra put all this behind him. I remember talking to him before he broke things off with Maggie and he was telling me that his relationship was going nowhere for awhile and that he didn't know what to do. Maggie's cheating was just the reason he needed to put a stop to all of it.'' said Spencer.

''Maggie?'' asked Aria nervously.

''Yeah, it's the name of his ex-girlfriend,'' replied Spencer.

''Oh Spencer! That girl called like three times one time when I was having lunch with Ezra. That's why I thought that he might have girlfriend… Maybe they are trying to make things right between the two of them… Maybe I shouldn't go… I'm just going to waste my time,'' said Aria, starting to ramble.

''Aria! Stop! I know Ezra and he really isn't the kind of man that ask a woman out if he isn't interested. And he also wouldn't play with you or Maggie. I promise you. Now stop worrying and go have fun! How long has it been since the last time you went out without Lily except for work?'' Spencer asked seriously.

''I never did ever since I obtained her guard,'' answered Aria softly.

''Oh Aria! This is exactly why you need to go out tonight and enjoy it! I promise you that you won't regret it, Ezra really is a great guy!'' said Spencer in an attempt to convince Aria to go to her date without worries.

''You're right Spencer,'' sighed Aria, ''I need to start living again! I can't hide in my yellow house with Lily forever!'' she said giving herself the little push she needed.

''Exactly! Now go! Don't stay here otherwise you'll find the way to change your mind! Besides, you don't want to be late don't you?'' said Spencer with a smile.

''Thank you Spencer, for everything,'' said Aria before opening the door and leaving for what she hoped would be a night she wouldn't regret.

Her date with Ezra had been going well. He had invited her in one of Rosewood's finest restaurant that she absolutely loved. It was cozy and warm, with candles illuminating the room and a pianist playing soft jazz music. She found that the conversation between Ezra and her flew easily. At first they had shared small talk about students at school and the principal's project of organizing a field trip to a theatre in Philadelphia, but after the main course arrived, they started sharing more personal information and Aria liked the idea of getting to know Ezra better.

''Wow, it must have been hard,'' said Ezra after Aria confessed to him that her father and her had almost stopped talking ever since she had told her mom about his cheating.

Aria started to answer, telling Ezra that the hardest was to choose between lying to her mom or protecting her father, but was interrupted by the ringing of Ezra's phone.

''I'm so sorry Aria! I thought I had turned it off!'' said Ezra as he reached it in his coat pocket.

He looked at the caller ID and sighed.

''Is there a problem?'' asked Aria worried at Ezra's reaction.

''No… yes…I don't know'' finally said Ezra rubbing his head in frustration before rejecting the call. Aria got a glimpse of the caller: Maggie.

''Do you want to talk about it?'' asked Aria, feeling both curious and nervous about the fact that Ezra's ex-girlfriend was once again calling him while he was spending time with her.

''I don't want to disturb you with my problems Aria,'' said Ezra with a sad smile.

''I don't want to force, but just so you know, you wouldn't be disturbing me, I'd be glad to help if I could. And after all, you've already listened to my problems when I told you about my brother,'' said Aria hoping that Ezra wouldn't find her too much curious.

''Thank you Aria…'' was all he said and Aria thought that it was all she was going to get from him. He wasn't ready to talk and she was okay with that, or that's what she was trying to convince herself.

''Maggie is my ex-girlfriend,'' Ezra finally said. ''We broke up in May when I found out that she had been cheating on me with my best friend. At christmas I was about to propose to her, but she started to act strange and I didn't like it. In march I didn't know what to do. The Maggie I was with wasn't the one I had met and loved. When I found out about her cheating, it only gave me a reason to finally accept that our relationship was over…'' Ezra trailed off.

''So she's calling you because she wants to make things right between you two?'' suspected Aria with regret.

''No… In June she found out that she was pregnant. She keeps calling me because she wants me to get involved in my baby's life. The thing is that I don't even know if it's mine! She refuses to pass a paternity test, assuring me that it's mine… How can I trust her? I don't want to start loving a baby and later discover that I'm not even his father… I'm afraid that she is only trying to get me back since my friend left her… But then what if it's really my baby? I would forever feel guilty if I wasn't there for him or her,'' Ezra stopped talking and sighed, looking at the table in defeat.

''Oh Ezra,'' said Aria, placing a comforting hand on his forearm, ''I'm really sorry… I can't pretend to know what you're going through, but I want you to know that you can count on me if you need help for anything,'' she said.

''Thank you,'' replied Ezra softly.

''I know that it might not be of my business, but if I can give you an advice, it's to fight for a paternity test. A kid is a huge responsibility, trust me, you won't be able to commit fully or to take your distance as long as you don't know if that child is yours or not,'' she said.

''I know…''sighed Ezra, '' It's just that I'm trying to put Maggie behind me, but she's always there in my mind. I hate fighting with her for that stupid test. I don't know why she can't agree! It would be all so simpler!'' exclaimed Ezra.

''She's probably scared that if the kid isn't yours she'll have to raise him alone, you mentioned that your friend was gone…'' suggested Aria.

''It's probably that, but it's not fair to me, or to that poor unborn kid! He isn't born yet and we're already fighting over him! A kid doesn't deserve that!'' said Ezra with exasperation.

''I know,'' replied Aria softly, ''The best you can do for him is to know if you are or not his father. Like you said, it would be unfair to put him in the middle of your fight with Maggie,'' she added.

''You're right, thank you Aria, I'll try to call Maggie tomorrow,'' he said finally smiling for real, ''Now, can we speak about something else? I don't Maggie to ruin our night together!''

''Of course!''

''I'm sorry that tonight didn't go quite according to my plans,'' said Ezra with a playful smile as they approached Aria's car.

Even though they had stopped talking about Maggie at Ezra's request, it had tainted the night and they were never able to go back to the mood there was at the beginning of the night.

''And what were your plans exactly?'' asked Aria with a smile.

''First I intended to do this,'' said Ezra as he took Aria's small hand in his.

Aria's breath caught in her throat at the contact and she had trouble replying to Ezra without sounding too nervous.

''And what d-did you plan to do next?'' she asked in a whisper.

''This,'' said Ezra as he stopped walking and turned towards Aria. He caressed one of her cheek with the hand that wasn't holding hers and slowly closed the space between them. When their lips were almost touching he added in a whisper:

''But only if you agree,''

Aria simply nodded slowly, before Ezra closed the gap between them. Their first kiss. It was sweet, soft and perfect.


End file.
